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Mount Holyoke College Announces Tuition Freeze

Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke was established in 1837 and was the first of the Seven Sisters.

Mount Holyoke College has announced that it will not increase tuition or room and board for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“If we hope to retain our nation’s historic commitment to educating for democracy, colleges and universities cannot continue to threaten access and add to already burgeoning loan burdens for students,” Lynn Pasquerella, the college president, said in a statement.

This is the first time since 1968 that the college has not increased the cost of attendance, college officials said.

“Initiatives include tuition cuts, freezes and guarantees, three-year degree programs, four-year graduation guarantees, curricular changes to assist on-time completion, significantly lower tuition increases, student aid initiatives and other efforts,” Tony Pals, a spokesperson for NAICU, said in a statement. “These measures are part of a campus affordability trend that has accelerated since the economic downturn.”

Mount Holyoke was established in 1837 and was the first of the Seven Sisters. Its Board of Trustees decided to keep tuition at $41,270 in the next school year, based on the belief that continuing to increase tuition, a widespread practice at institutions of higher education, was unsustainable.

Ms. Pasquerella, in an interview, compared the tuition-freeze strategy to the movie “Moneyball,” because the college, which she said does not enjoy the endowments of some Ivy-league institutions, is pursuing an initiative that is financially risky.

“Colleges and universities have adopted a model where the biggest way to increase revenue is by increasing tuition,” she said. “We can’t continue to raise tuition and meet our goals of having open access and diversity. This is a risk, but we have an endowment that is strong. It might hurt us initially, but in the long run, it will help us, and it will help our students.”

What impressions do you have of a university when it freezes tuition or adopts other affordability measures? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box.

Experience shows that colleges that freeze or reduce their tuition see their reputation decline. Despite general complaints about spiralling tuition costs, consumers equate high sticker price with high quality, just as they do with products like wine. That is why most elites follow a different strategy–continue to raise their sticker price to keep it on par with their rivals, while deeply discounting that price for bright students from middle and working class backgrounds. Tuition freezes and reductions do temporarily lift application numbers, but they tend to shift the pool downward to students of average ability. They also tend to be most attractive to a narrow group of families–those whose income puts them just out of reach of need-based aid. For middle class families these freezes and reductions have a negligible impact, as need based aid is also typically frozen or reduced as well. People should pay less attention to the sticker price when shopping for colleges and more attention to the actual price for families in their particular income bracket. And students could save their families a great deal of money if they applied to colleges where they are in the top ten percent of the academic profile of the student body rather than in the middle of the pack. They will be lavished with more scholarship money at these schools.

It is refreshing to see an acknowledgment that the arms race in education may be intelligently addressed. The previous comment argues that one should look at net cost to the student and that top universities can charge essentially whatever they want – full sticker price- to the well to do. Sadly, very few institutions can do this without burdening students with excessive loans. Only the top ivy institutions grant full aid. And colleges aid calculation is a broken model. The real change will be in restructuring how we deliver education. Thank you Mount Holyoke for your courage.

According to their website, of 3,416 First-year applicants, over half (52%) were accepted. Further, 25% of the Class of 2015 scored below 610, 590 and 620 respectively on the Critical Reading, Math, and Writing portions of the SAT. It’s more competitive than your average state school, like UMass, but is no longer a school of choice for the sisters of Ivy League-bound men, as it was a generation of two ago.

Mount Holyoke College is genuine in its commitment to inclusion and diversity, bringing the brightest young women from all backgrounds to benefit from a world-class education. It may not have the endowment of the large Ivy League institutions, but it is tops in the careful attention it provides to educating every young woman who attends. Brava Mount Holyoke! P.S. I am not employed by the college, just an impressed observer.

$41,270 is not an amount most families can afford, so freezing at that rate does not help to create greater access for families who may have first-time college attendees. Sending kids to college has become like buying a car: what’s the sticker, what are the negotiations and what’s the end price? State colleges which charge a few thousand dollars plus about $800/mo. for room and board – that is what most people can afford to pay. I salute the idea of not raising the price from one year to the next, but without adding to the pool of grants or aid, I don’t think MH will have more students from a wide variety of backgrounds in 2012-13 than it does today.

Mount Holyoke has been willing to take risks in terms of reputation and rankings for the sake of diversity. For example, Mount Holyoke was one of the first schools to make the SAT/ACT optional, which has undoubtedly hurt its rankings, but increased the diversity and breadth of the student body.

I see this as a bold step in the same direction. Women don’t choose Mount Holyoke because of where it ranks in terms of the other Seven Sisters. Women choose it because it is a place that values all aspects of a student’s self, not just numbers or the ability to pay full tuition.

JennieF: Although the admissions rates at Mount Holyoke (and the other Seven Sisters) are less competitive than at many other top liberal arts colleges, the College’s reputation for providing a first-rate education stands strong as ever. Further, since a women’s college is a unique environment, it does not appeal to many teenagers applying to college, thereby becoming quite “self-selective” – it draws students who seek academic rigor.

And as for those SAT scores – studies have shown over and over that they rise at the same rate as the student’s family’s income.

I’m not sure where the “loss of reputation” has come in – Mount Holyoke had the highest acceptance rate of any undergraduate institution into Stanford Medical School, the most difficult to get into in the country. Admission rates are relatively high because it’s a self-selecting population who applies to Mount Holyoke – it isn’t some place people apply to “just because,” there is always a reason, unlike some other universities with lower than 10% admissions. The model of increasing financial aid every time tuition is increasing is unsustainable and needs to end. No one WANTS to pay $40, 000 per year for school, and the calculations for the work-study programs are horrendous, leaving students with back-breaking loans they can’t pay back for decades. Price tag isn’t what makes a school like Mount Holyoke prestigious. Educational standards do.

JennieF – I’d take the percentage of applicants accepted at MHC with a grain of salt – the school is known to get a smaller applicant pool than co-educational schools of similar quality because it is a women’s college – something that simply is not attractive to as many women. But the women who self select to apply to Mount Holyoke and other women’s colleges are extremely intelligent, accomplished applicants. The fact that they accept ~50% of their applicants should not detract from the quality of those applicants. Also, MHC does not require the SAT, so average SAT scores are of little value in assessing the quality of the student body.

I received a top notch education at Mount Holyoke, one that allowed me to attend an Ivy League medical school and a Harvard affiliated residency program. I am a proud alum and applaud the efforts that the school is making to keep it affordable for all students (although I do agree that >$40,000 a year is not exactly affordable for all – small changes in the right direction though!)

JennieF, it appears that you too may have been swept up by this recent nostalgia for the time when institutions such as Mt. Holyoke and Smith only educated “the right kind of people”. I proudly applaud and support my alma mater in it’s decision and ask you why should a world-class single-sex education be only reserved for “the sisters of Ivy League-bound men”?

This is a bold move for a college, and typical, I’d say, for a school that has been blazing trails in higher education for nearly 200 years. Mount Holyoke’s strong reputation for educating women is demonstrated by the number of its alumnae in top posts throughout the workforce. The college has a solid record of supporting its students financially and an equally strong record of providing a rigorous, top-notch education. These may be some of the reasons for the rise in its applications.

It is also worth noting that Mount Holyoke was rated #1 in 2011 in the Princeton Review’s “Best Classroom Experience” rankings — and the college has consistently been in the top 10 for a number of years.

It’s unfortunate that more young women don’t recognize the unique value of a women’s college education. A highly disproportionate percentage of women leaders in the U.S. and around the world are graduates of Mount Holyoke and other women’s colleges. To see this kind of commitment to socioeconomic diversity and social justice as part of the college’s mission is a bonus.

Another reason among the many to be happy my daughter attends Mount Holyoke college. As a very dedicated student she had her choice of many so called ‘prestigious’ colleges but was wise enough to choose fit over artificial rankings. She is receiving an excellent education. I would encourage young women who are considering their college choices to look beyond the guide books and take a close look at the dynamic educational environment that a school like Mount Holyoke provides. Kudos to President Lynn Pasquerella for showing leadership. (a result of her Mount Holyoke education no doubt)

As many commenters have noted, Mount Holyoke’s applicant pool is incredibly self-selected, thus the high acceptance rate. If anything, the acceptance rate is evidence of the strength of the applicant pool, not a result of declining standards or rigor. Currently, Mount Holyoke’s total cost is on par with other top-ranked colleges and universities, though this is by no means inexpensive or easily affordable. Freezing tuition is another measure (in addition to generous financial aid packages) that Mount Holyoke is taking to make the fabulous education it provides available to a greater range of students. I’m proud that the college has taken this step.

I have to say that I agree with MJC. Mount Holyoke College was rated #1 for best college experience and it was recently rated #12 for most rigorous school while Stanford was 25 and Harvard #17. Mount Holyoke might not be an Ivy League institution but it surely is a great place were young women can go and get educated. Never less Mount Holyoke College empowers women into the workforce. I wish more young girls knew about this amazing institution. Price of higher education keeps getting higher and higher making it impossible for families and also minorities to even consider sending their daughters to such institution and I think that freezing the price is a wonderful idea that will open doors to many intelligent young women. Mount Holyoke College offers great Financial Aid and there are so many scholarships out there that can help students come to this lovely institution!

I am a current student on campus and I can truly say that I am so proud to be a Mount Holyoke Student. I know that my choice of school will benefit me in the long run and that I am getting a wonderful education. I am in a place where I feel welcomed and respected. Where professors care about their students and where I know that anything I set my mind to is achievable. I have to admit that at first I wasn’t sure if an all women education was for me since I come from a co-ed public high school. But now I can say that it is, there’s no place like Mt Holyoke. I am surrounded by so many intelligent and passionate young women. It is an inspiring campus.

I suggest everyone to read this article posted on the Boston Globe which discusses women education.

I absolutely agree with those who have stated that Mount Holyoke is a unique school that has been known to set the standards instead of meeting artificial ones. This move might not change things drastically but the school is definitely setting an appropriate example and reacting to an issue that has weighed on students and their families for several years. Mount Holyoke is a place that can be compared with few others in that it provides an environment in which women are given the tools to succeed in a wide range of fields, and have. Those who go to the school do not attend simply to serve as monuments to an antiquated ideology of a women’s college. Mount Holyoke professors, all of whom are at the top of their field, as well as the country’s most prestigious graduate programs continue to show great respect for the school’s students and I refuse to believe that a tuition freeze will change that.

I was fortunate to attend both Mount Holyoke and an Ivy League college- Dartmouth. I must say hands down, that the education, classroom experience and preparation for graduate school was far superior for me at Mount Holyoke. I went on to become a veterinarian and graduated in the top of my veterinary school class. Today I own my own practice and am involved in many community service projects locally. I would recommend MHC to any young woman (including my daughters) looking for a challenging and stimulating learning environment that will help her to become a critical thinker, an active member of society and a success at whatever she tackles in life. I congratulate MHC for not feeling compelled to continue to rate success based on numbers whether it is a test score, an application rate or a tuition bracket.
When I think about what makes someone succesful, I want to know if they can work independently and on a team, can they think outside the box, are they compassionate and fair, are they confident, hardworking, ethical and kind and are they a productive responsible citizen. I don’t care what school they went to, how much they paid to go there or how much they make now.

I don’t understand why this has become a forum for people to defend Mount Holyoke’s reputation. The post is about the College’s decision to freeze tuition, not its ranking. While I applaud Mount Holyoke for taking this step, I must also take the conservative perspective and question how the college is going to sustain its efforts in the next year as prices increase and profit decreases. As the President of the College has already stated, Mount Holyoke does not have a huge endowment to help offset costs. Is the College going to reduce the number of work-study opportunities, eliminate staff members, reduce departments? I recognize that it is important for colleges to be affordable, especially in an era where some students even leave high schools that cost 40K/year, but at what cost? Will the quality of life of the Mount Holyoke community be worse? I don’t think that curbing costs will worsen its reputation, but it will definitely leave the College with a lot to think about as students request more financial aid and more competitive colleges offer equally competitive loan-free financial aid packages.

Freezing the sticker price really does not say much about the cost of attendance for many students. That will depend on how large a discount the college offers in the form of “financial aid”. It is true that the wealthiest families will save money due to this policy. One could easily argue that the problem with higher education is that the sticker price is too low. A household earning $1,000,000 a year might well be willing to pay $250,000 a year for college tuition. That is the percentage of my household income that we pay for my child’s college tuition.

May I just remind everyone that colleges are supposed to be not-for-profit educational institutions. I feel that that fact is often forgotten in our society. Its amazing!
As a rising MHC senior I am proud of MHC for NOT doing the conventional and raising prices. As current MHC students know in April there are the “Mind the Gap” days. This reminds all of us students that our tuition DOES NOT make it through the entire academic year. I thank our alumnae for all that they do for us. MHC is a unique college and anyone who says that it has dropped in quality or the students who attend, just go to a class and hear what students are doing!
I am the sister of 2 Ivy-league alumna and the sister-in-law to someone who did her undergrad and grad at an Ivy. Anyone who says MHC is not IVY quality obviously hasn’t seen the difference. MHC is far superior in the opportunities it gives its students.

I attended Havard but am seriously encouraging my daughter to look at Mt. Holyoke as one of her college options. The institution has an excellent reputation and, like the other colleges in the vicinity, allows students to take courses at neighbor institutions, thereby enhancing academic possibilities.

I also applaud the fact they made ACT/SAT optional. These tests are not good predictors of college success and should be dropped by all institutions of higher learning.